Environmental Policy
No matter the size, all companies can contribute to minimizing our environmental footprint on the planet. In Umaras Vision, we have incorporated environmental work as a significant part of our development. It may seem that many of our tentative steps towards a better environmental policy are trivial and insignificant, almost unnecessary. But at the same time, it’s about embedding the environmental mindset into the culture. Just as the evidence-based work behind everything we do is woven into the culture, so should the environmental work be the same.
A corporate culture does not arise out of nowhere. It must be present from the start and accompany the company's growth. Just as a child's foundational ethical values about what is right and wrong are learned from a young age, the culture must be created within the company and accompany it through both childhood and adolescence to then “be ingrained in the walls” when the company has matured.
Vegan Adapted Products
Our goal is for all products in Umara's range to be plant-based. In addition to the lower environmental impact due to plant-based raw materials being harvested lower down the ecological chain, it also allows the products to be used by those who choose not to consume animal products.
We are very proud that almost the entire range is vegan-adapted. However, we still have a little way to go as our D-Vitamin and Omega 3 are not yet plant-based. But hang in there, we are working on it.
Compostable Biocups
With a little water and sunlight, our liquid cups will soon be a thing of the past. This doesn’t happen overnight, but with an added biomass in the material, a decomposition process is initiated when sunlight and water are available, and the cups then break down and return to Mother Nature (including the soy-based ink).
Another advantage is that they also look nicer at competitions in case a cup happens to end up in nature. If the weather is nice, the cup will be gone without a trace within a few months.
Cans Become Containers
The packaging that the products were previously packed in could not be recycled effectively as it was made of mixed plastic and aluminum. Aluminum foil inside to keep the product fresh and plastic film outside for printing possibilities. They were indeed less bulky and required slightly less space during transport, which saves the environment. However, the downside of them not being recyclable outweighed the benefits, and switching to 100% recyclable HDPE plastic containers was therefore an obvious choice.
Much will become more
There are more environmental efforts taking place continuously within several of the company's areas. Everything from environmental toner in the printer, environmentally certified paper, e-invoices to the greatest extent possible, bottles made from sugar cane, and of course, we ourselves recycle as we should.
The work will continue as our goal is to leave as small an environmental footprint as possible. No one can really do everything, but everyone can do something.
We believe our project Sverigetrampet clearly shows this. There we raised over 25,000kr for replanting trees and education in sustainable farming for farmers in Africa.
